On the day of the full moon celebration, Gu Mingyue stood aside chatting with everyone while holding her baby, who was wearing a blue onesie.
"Mingyue, I'm so glad to see you." Qin Hongmei walked over carrying a small gift box, her eyes first falling on the baby's face. "This little one is so pretty, even more beautiful than in the photos."
During her postpartum confinement period, she didn't visit others much so as not to disturb Gu Mingyue's rest.
As she spoke, she took out a plush bunny from the gift box, which amused the baby so much that he reached out to grab it.
Just as Gu Mingyue was about to express her gratitude, she heard a familiar voice coming from the kitchen of the cafeteria.
Turning my head, I saw the cafeteria staff carrying dishes into the restaurant. The tray contained freshly cooked sweet and sour pork ribs, and the aroma instantly filled the entire hall.
Lu Lin was busy handing drinks to his comrades, not even bothering to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
His comrade patted him on the shoulder: "Not bad, Brother Lu. It's quite innovative to hold a full moon celebration in the canteen. It's much more lively than at home."
Lu Lin smiled and gestured with his chin toward Gu Mingyue: "My wife said the cafeteria food suits everyone's taste, and since everyone here is a familiar face, there's no need to be reserved."
As soon as she finished speaking, the baby suddenly let out a "ee-yah" sound, grabbed Gu Mingyue's clothes with his little hand, and rubbed his little head against her chest, making the people around laugh and say, "The little guy knows it's going to be lively today, and he's shy."
Zhong Yuxiu brought over the last dish, wiped her hands, and brought it close to the baby: "Come here, let Grandma hold you and show everyone our little Chenchen."
After finishing their meal in the cafeteria, everyone went home to chat.
Xia Qinghe, who was leading the group, smiled and stuffed a pair of tiger-head shoes into Gu Mingyue's hands: "Mingyue, I made these. The words 'May you live a long and healthy life' are sewn on the soles. It will give the child peace of mind."
Qi Juanjuan also handed over a colorful rattle drum: "Let the little one hear the sound."
Just then, a series of crisp footsteps came from the doorway, and Luo Haiping walked in carrying his twins.
"Mingyue, we're late." He led the two children to the baby, "Quick, call your little brother and share your toys with him."
Gu Mingyue quickly took the baby from her mother's arms and lined up with Luo Haiping's two children.
The three little ones lay side by side on the bed, all looking chubby and fair-skinned.
The three little babies' eyes were all bright and sparkling, like they were filled with stars.
Luo Haiping liked them more and more as he looked at them. "These kids look like little white balls of dough. I just want to touch them."
Gu Mingyue nodded in agreement. Putting everything else aside, she just wanted to kiss Chenchen's little face every day.
The morning after the full moon banquet, Lu Lin drove his company jeep and parked it at the gate of the compound.
Gu Mingyue, holding the baby who was wrapped up tightly, sat in the passenger seat, while Zhong Yuxiu, Lu Wanwan, and He Xiao squeezed into the back.
"Everything's packed, let's go."
They were going to the county town to take a full-month photo of their child and bring the camera back with them. It wasn't available for sale in the county town, so he specially asked someone to buy it from the sea market.
The photo studio in the county town has a small storefront, and the five characters "Hongguang Photo Studio" on the wooden signboard are painted brightly.
The photo studio owner looked at the large group of people and smiled broadly, clearly recognizing them as big clients.
"Comrades, what kind of photos would you like to take?"
Gu Mingyue: "We want to take a full-moon photo of the baby, and also take a family reunion photo."
"No problem, no problem." The photo studio owner led them to the shooting location.
Zhong Yuxiu sat in the middle, holding Chenchen, who was wrapped in a small red and white floral quilt. Chenchen's little face was flushed from the warmth, and her little hands were clutching the cloth buttons on Zhong Yuxiu's clothes.
Lu Lin and Gu Mingyue sat on opposite sides. Lu Lin quietly tidied the stray hairs behind Gu Mingyue's ears, while Gu Mingyue turned her head to look at Chenchen, a gentle smile curving her lips.
Lu Wanwan and He Xiao stood side by side behind, with Lu Wanwan's hand on Gu Mingyue's shoulder and He Xiao holding a rattle drum used to amuse Chenchen. Their posture was natural and intimate.
"Look at the camera, everyone!" the boss called out after adjusting the angle of his black film camera.
As if understanding, Chenchen suddenly grinned, revealing her toothless gums. With a soft "click," the camera shutter snapped a picture, capturing the smiles in everyone's eyes and Chenchen's adorable antics on film.
Lu Lin took a roll of new film from the shopkeeper: "I'll buy this film first, so that I can take pictures of Chenchen when he learns to roll over and sit up."
The shopkeeper smiled and handed him the film: "This film is well-preserved, the pictures will be clear, you can use it with confidence."
The group didn't linger long and found a small restaurant along the way, ordering a few plates of home-style stir-fries. Chenchen obediently drank milk powder in Zhong Yuxiu's arms.
Two days later, Lu Lin deliberately left work early to pick up the photos.
As soon as he lifted the curtain of the photo studio, the owner saw him and came over waving the photo in his hand: "Come and see, it's been developed very clearly."
Lu Lin took the photos. Sunlight shone on the photographic paper, making everyone's expression clear and distinct.
A few days later, Lu Qinming in Beijing received the registered letter.
The envelope was opened, and the photo, still smelling of ink, slid out. Xia Huiying held the photo up close to look at it and said repeatedly, "Look at Chenchen, how energetic she looks. It's a pity we're not here, otherwise we would have taken more pictures."
Lu Limin touched the edge of the photo and said with a smile, "Xiao Lin bought a camera, so she'll definitely take even more photos in the future. There's no need to worry about not having enough photos to look at."
Xia Huiying: "Oh right, there's another important thing, which is the child's name. The nickname will be Chenchen. As for the formal name, let's discuss it and brainstorm together."
This is the first grandchild of the Lu family, and it is neither reasonable nor emotional that they should compromise. After seeing the letter, Lu Limin and Lu Qinming both picked up their dictionaries and began to look it up.
A week had passed before Lu Lin received the news. Lu Limin and Lu Qinming had drafted several names for him to choose from, and finally, the child's name was decided.
The orchids on the windowsill had just started to bud, and the charcoal brazier in the room had long been removed. Sunlight streamed through the window and fell on the bed, warming you to the bone.
Zhong Yuxiu took off Chenchen's thick cotton-padded coat and put on a light blue cloth shirt that had been washed until it was faded. The collar of the shirt was embroidered with a small sunflower, which made Chenchen's arms look like freshly peeled lotus roots, white and tender.
After changing her clothes, Chenchen was placed on a bed covered with a floral-patterned mattress.
He no longer lay still like he did in winter; his little body twisted and turned, and his two chubby little hands were raised in front of his eyes, as if he had discovered something new and interesting.
He stared at his little hands for a while, then suddenly slapped his right hand onto the back of his left hand with a soft "smack," and laughed to himself, babbling and kicking his little legs.
Gu Mingyue sat on the edge of the bed drawing, but her gaze kept falling on Chenchen.
Seeing that he was having fun, she put down her pen and gently touched Chenchen's little hand. Chenchen immediately grabbed her fingers, not with much force, but with a tight grip.
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